Page 20 of The Beta's Blind Date

I ignore her and grab clothes to change into—red plaid flannel pajama pants, fuzzy green socks, and an ivory waffle henley top, to be more specific—and take them with me into the bathroom. I peel off my turtleneck, skirt, black tights, and black ankle boots, toss the clothes into my hamper and the shoes into my closet, then throw on my pajamas and put my curls up in a high puff on the top of my head with a dark pink satin scrunchie, leaving a few loose pieces framing my face.

“It was a bust, wasn’t it?” Blake repeats as I walk back into the living room and plop down on the other end of the couch.

I pull a turquoise throw pillow into my lap and fluff it a few times before I hug it to myself.

“It was actually really great,” I say.

“Then why are you back already?”

“It’s 10 p.m.”

“I know! I wasn’t expecting you to be back until at least midnight if it went well,” she says. “So I ask again, why are you back already?”

I sigh and lean against the couch, staring at the ceiling. “Cookie Monster Beta is Reid Thomas.”

“Reid Thomas?” she asks, and I nod, turning my head to look at her. “Reid Thomas, the beta from Crescent Lake?” I nod again. “Reid Thomas, the biggest playboy in the area—no, make that the entire state—the male who everyone knows has no interest in having a fated mate? THAT Reid Thomas?”

“Yes, Blake, THAT Reid Thomas.”

“What the fuck is he doing on Date-To-Mate?” she asks.

“He lost a bet.” I chuckle. “He lost a bet to his pack’s delta, so he had to go on a ‘real’ date. No one-night stand or sleeping with the girl at the end. And I was the lucky she-wolf his best friend picked to be his blind date.”

“Okay, that’s hilarious,” Blake says with a snort of laughter. “I mean, I know you were hoping to meet someone who could be a potential chosen mate, or, even better, your actual fated mate. But getting to be the only girl the playboy of Crescent Lake has ever taken on a date is priceless,” she adds as she reaches for another slice. “Want some?” she asks, pointing at the BBQ chicken pizza.

“I just had dinner, remember?”

She scoffs. “Like that will stop you. You’re always hungry, especially for pizza, and especially with all the extra workouts you’ve been doing lately to show Alpha Dominic you’re serious about being a warrior.”

I bite my lip and stare at the offered pizza, eyeing the mouthwatering crispy pieces of bacon sprinkled amongst the other toppings. She isn’t wrong. I love pizza. And although I had a wonderful meal with Reid, complete with dessert, the drive back to Silver Ridge from the city takes a while, so it’s no surprise my stomach is rumbling already.

“All right. Hand it over,” I say, sitting up and setting my pillow aside.

Blake laughs as she pulls two slices out, the cheese stretching between the pieces and the whole pie left behind in the box. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the pizza.”

The sight of the stretchy, melty mozzarella makes my mouth water more, and my stomach growls, giving away my genuine need for sustenance.

“I just had dinner, remember?” Blake mocks.

“Just hand over the pizza,” I snap.

“Grumpy,” she teases, tossing it on a plate and handing it to me. “It’s been far too long since you’ve gotten laid. You should have gone for a roll in the hay with Beta Reid.”

“Ooh girl, if he had offered, it would have been incredibly difficult to say no.”

“So he lives up to the hype?”

“He wasfine,” I say.

My eyes close and I picture him again, remembering the stretch of the white fabric across his chest. I remember his bright blue eyes and his sparkling smile. I remember how those black pants hugged his ass and his thighs as he stood to greet the chef and as he walked away from me to his truck when the evening was over.

Warmth spreads through me and my heart stutters in my chest. I open my eyes and cut my musings off before I undress him in my head.

“So fucking fine,” I repeat with a smile. “I would have climbed him like a tree.”

“So why didn’t you?” she asks.

“Because he was trying to prove a point to Sebastian, and because the whole point of this Date-To-Mate endeavor was so I could find someone serious.”

---